ALL IN THE DETAILS
Bob Giaimo perusing the menu at John's, a circa-1927 diner in Connecticut. Courtesy of Richard Gutman.
ALL IN THE DETAILS
Delving into the iconic design behind Silver Diner.
What makes a diner a diner?
Well, if you want to know the answer, and everything else there is to know about America’s most iconic kind of restaurant, there is one man to call, and really one man only. And that’s why nearly 40 years ago, we dialed up Richard Gutman, aka the “Diner Man,” as the Boston-based historian, best-selling author, and bona fide diner expert has come to be known over his decades-long career. It was the late 1980s, after our co-founder Bob Giaimo got his hands on a copy of Gutman’s book, “American Diner,” and a conversation that would culminate in the creation of the very first Silver Diner. More on that later.
For Gutman, though, everything began in the 1950s. As a kid growing up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, he was surrounded by diners, with a whopping 22 such establishments in his town. “I ate there with my family but never thought twice about them,” he says, “just like everybody else who patronized diners in those days.”
But that changed in architecture school, when he began to see these everyday eateries through the eyes of a designer. Suddenly, they were more than just club sandwiches and apple pie; they were works of art. “That was when I realized there was nothing else like a diner—the beginning of 50 years of infatuation,” says Gutman, who went on to consult for dozens of diner owners, as well as movies like Barry Levinson’s 1982 Diner, and become the director of the Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts Museum, which included a 4,000-square-foot exhibition on, guess what, the American diner.
“They were more than just club sandwiches and apple pie; they were works of art.”
So then, what makes a diner a diner? It turns out the answer has evolved over the years. In 1872, an entrepreneur named Walter Scott opened the very first “lunch wagon,” a simple horse-drawn cart serving shift-workers and night-owls a hot, cheap, carry-out meal in Providence, Rhode Island. Competition cropped up quickly, with each featuring elaborately painted exteriors to attract customers. Soon enough, larger “lunch cars” emerged, featuring a few seats and a stationary location, which eventually became known as “dining cars,” vaguely resembling the long, narrow, rolling restaurants of the railroads. By the 1920s, they were simply known as “diners,” and over time, menus grew, and hours expanded, with increasingly sprawling establishments staying open upwards of 24 hours a day.
By their mid-century peak, what we now think of as a classic diner was covered in chrome and tile with large counters and central open kitchens. Some say their designs—sleek, shimmering, and stainless steel—were meant to reflect the future, as planes, trains, and automobiles rocketed toward the Space Age. But Gutman says, at first, some of those details were simply a matter of utility.
“Materials like ceramic, nickel, and copper, then chrome, ceramic tile, Formica, and marble, were all employed because they were durable and easy to keep clean,” he says. “But the craftsmen would also bend them into decorative designs so that they could also be eye-catching. Diners always tried to outdo each other, in terms of designing spaces that would amuse the customer at the counter as he waited for his eggs.”
Into the mid-century, they added even more bells and whistles—leather booths, jukeboxes, and, of course, the ultimate allure—neon—which, like the roadside motels and gas stations of the day, could catch the attention of even the fastest flying cars on America’s unfurling highways. By the 1950s, there were at least 6,000 diners speckled across the country.
Richard Gutman and Bob Giaimo outside of The Dining Car in Philadelphia. Courtesy of Richard Gutman.
But by the time Giaimo started thinking about diners in the late ’80s, these locally owned eateries were in the midst of a steep decline, pushed out by the rise of fast-food and restaurant chains. With the help of Gutman, the two men set out on an epic road trip in search of the last remaining classics, with chef Ype Von Hengst and New York restaurant designer Charles Morris Mount also in tow.
“We pulled up to these diners, posted up inside, and ordered more food than you could put on the table—you can’t beat an experience like that,” says Gutman, who devised the itineraries. “We were looking for iconic places—places that were architecturally significant and notable for their menus—and we also wanted to figure out what made them tick.”
Charles Morris Mount, Ype Von Hengst and Bob Giaimo at Ingleside Diner in Pennsylvania, on their research roadtrip. Courtesy of Richard Gutman.
Altogether, those adventures resulted in the first Silver Diner, opened on Rockville Pike in 1989, just down the road from the current Rockville location. The building was built by the legendary Kullman Industries of New Jersey, then shipped down to Maryland and installed on site. Its final construction was inspired by the diner’s mid-century golden age, with quintessential touches of stainless steel, tile, marble, mahogany, and glass block throughout, garnering multiple design awards. Gutman served as advisor, also reviewing the menu and picking out songs for the Seeburg jukeboxes.
“Over the years, Silver Diner has continued to streamline its look,” he says, noting a design evolution to include Art Deco elements in recent years, such as upgraded finishes, warm lighting, and welcoming color schemes, “but they still have the signatures, like that silver clock that reminds you: it’s time to eat.” (In fact, it is often set to 7:20, be it for breakfast or dinner.)
Today, guests can still find the counters, the booths, the open kitchens, and so many other timeless features of the past, alongside modernizations in both menu and atmosphere for the present and future. And even as tastes, neighborhoods, and the shapes, sizes, and styles of restaurants continue to continue change, Gutman expects diners to live on forever.
“Everybody wants to be a diner—the lunch counter restaurants, the coffee shops, even the donut shops,” he says. “But authentic diners, you see them, and you just know. It’s not even about what it looks like. It’s the action. It’s the ambience. It’s all of the moving parts, working together like a well-oiled machine to serve you fast, inexpensive, home-style food, almost any time of day.”
But after all these years, the burning question: is Gutman glad he took Giaimo’s call?
“I’m always glad to field a cold call from someone who wants to talk about diners, but what made Bob different was the scale of his dream, his ambition, his resources, and his team,” he says. “He’s a one-of-a-kind guy, and it was an opportunity to do something meaningful and progressive. Silver Diner was able to pull it off. Hats off to them for that.”
Avocado toast and eggs, available at breakfast on weekdays.
LONG LIVE THE BLUE-PLATE SPECIAL!
Did you know the blue-plate special was started in American diners? As early as the 1920s, these locally loved restaurants offered daily combos that featured a main dish with extra add-ons for a low price. Throughout the Great Depression, they helped guests dine on a dime, and the tradition stuck, with Silver Diner’s own “Blue Plates” available on weekdays. Order from an array of offerings for lunch or breakfast. Plus, stay tuned for new Blue Plate Specials coming soon.